Double black diamond

Kathryn Crawford Saxer Career Transition

I often tell my coaching clients to stop thinking. “Thinking is all bad,” I say. “You’ll just think about why it won’t work.” This comes up with clients working on a career transition. Clients who are dreaming about doing something new. Maybe something risky. I often tell these clients a ski story that I’ll also share here. This winter, I was skiing a challenging run (Snake Dance, for you locals). My kids were waiting for me at the bottom of …

(Not) playing the salary negotiation game

Kathryn Crawford Saxer Career Management

In my coaching practice, I see experienced, seasoned professionals fall apart when they negotiate their salary. It’s like they’re afraid of losing a game of poker. I try to make the negotiations less about playing a cutthroat game, and more about developing a business case. “Ack! I have a phone screen,” a new client emailed me. “What are they going to ask?” This client has 20 years in his field, but is looking to return to full-time work after a …

Managing the dreaded micromanager

Kathryn Crawford Saxer Career Management

It seems counterintuitive, but one way to fight back when you get too many micromanaging emails is to send an email of your own. Think of it like a preemptive strike. Here’s an example, pulled from one of my coaching sessions with a vice president at a local startup. “My CEO is micromanaging me,” the vice president told me. “He’s constantly in my business. I’ll wake up in the morning with half a dozen emails from him.” “What are you …

Spiderwoman

Kathryn Crawford Saxer A Little Kindness

Sometimes I feel like Spiderwoman when I walk in the city. Leaving work one afternoon, I saw a woman catch a heel on a curb and sprawl down the sidewalk. Spiderwoman ran to her, helped her up, brushed her off, picked up her cracked phone. We shared a shaky laugh. Spiderwoman didn’t want her to be alone with the shock and embarrassment of that sudden fall. A British couple had just gotten off the light rail at Pioneer Square and …